‘A watershed moment’: how will Labour play Trump 2.0?

Starmer open to second state visit for Donald Trump, amid worries about tariffs and recent setbacks to political relationship

David Lammy was visiting Washington last May when he realised Donald Trump was likely to win the presidential election. The soon-to-be foreign secretary held meetings with the Democrat and Republican campaigns - and found himself admiring the latter.

The slickness and professionalism of Trump's 2024 operation, with its sharp messaging making inroads with black and Hispanic voters, seemed a far cry from his shambolic 2016 campaign. By comparison, Joe Biden's appeared backward-looking and focused on attacking Trump's record, while lacking a compelling narrative of its own.